Classic Motorcycle Mechanics August 2014

ion guide Free ee 32 Page restoration TZR 250 V-TWIN RACER ❘ YAMAHA RD350LC REBUILD

AUGUST 2014

ALL THAT’S BEST IN MODERN CLASSIC MOTORCYCLING

vFr400r valve clearances

Skills:

Brake caliper overhaul

Project bike:

No.322 August 2014

£4.10

■ suzuki gsx-r750F ■ moto morini 3 1⁄ 2 ■ ducati 900ss ■ hesketh v-twins

Knowledge:

kawasaki zrx1100 BuYer’s guide YAMAHA XS750 ❙ cLassiFieds BUYING/SELLING TIPS ❙ Q&a YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

August 2014 Issue 322 Publisher: Steve Rose, srose@mortons.co.uk Group production editor: Tim Hartley Contributors: Mark ‘Weeble’ Manning, Paul Bryant, Rosie Ward Design: Justin Blackamore Reprographics: Simon Duncan Divisional advertising manager: David England, dengland@mortons.co.uk Advertising: Tania Shaw, Sam Dearie tshaw@mortons.co.uk sdearie@mortons.co.uk Tel: 01507 524004 Subscription manager: Paul Deacon Circulation manager: Steven O’Hara Marketing manager: Charlotte Park Production manager: Craig Lamb Publishing director: Dan Savage Commercial director: Nigel Hole Associate director: Malc Wheeler

Editorial address: CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS MAGAZINE, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR Website: www.classicmechanics.com General enquiries and back issues: Tel: 01507 529529 24-hour answer phone help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk Archivist: Jane Skayman jskayman@mortons.co.uk, 01507 529423 Subscription: Full subscription rates (but see page 38 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £49.20. Export rates are also available – see page 38 for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. Distribution: COMAG, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE. Tel: 01895 433600 Subscription agents: CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS MAGAZINE, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR Printed: William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton Published date: CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS MAGAZINE is published on the third Wednesday of every month Next issue: Wednesday, August 20, 2014 Advertising deadline: Friday, August 1, 2014 © Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher. ISSN 0959-0900 CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS magazine takes all responsible steps to ensure advice and technical tips are written by experienced and competent people. We also advise readers to seek further professional advice if they are unsure at any time. Anything technical written by the editor is exempt – he’s rubbish with spanners.

CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS (USPS:729-550) is published monthly

by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK. USA subscriptions are $60 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Wisconsin Rapids, WI. Postmaster: Send address changes to CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE MECHANICS, Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715572-4595 chris@classicbikebooks.com

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The biking numbers game...

Numbers in motorcycling are oh-so important.

Years of riding experience are often quoted at the bar as a mark of rank to fellow motorcyclists, the cubic capacity of your machine is often bandied around to impress a member of the opposite sex (sometimes) and often we feel sick when seeing the numbers of pounds insurance companies want to charge us for insuring said motorcycles despite those years of experience.

Saying certain numbers can thrill – if you’re a biker. Being into World Superbikes and bike racing means that when I hear ‘750’ I think of exciting race bikes and their road-going counterparts, while ‘250’ reminds me of LCs, RGVs and KR-1s. Often we foolishly think that more is best, like a 1000, but often the smaller

the machine the more that can be wrung from it, and so it seems with the Moto Morini 3 and a half. This month Jon Bentman samples one of 1983 vintage and comes away impressed with how sweetly the Morini can sing, meanwhile I’m making plans for my own 350 – an RD350R. Thirty-two is the number of pages of the supplement that comes with this issue. The CMM Restoration Guide should (we hope) give you some idea of how to tackle your next project. Now, we can’t hope to tell you everything you need to know in just 32 pages, but we hope to give even the experienced among you one tip that helps you next time you’re starting a project. Enjoy!

Bertie Simmonds

editor

Bertie Simmonds

Jon Bentman

Chris Moss

bertie@classicmechanics.com This month... ... the prices of SRAD and Y-model GSX-Rs. Oooh modern nostalgia!

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

JB gets to ride a Latin lovely in the shape of the Moto Morini 3.5.

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Mossy tackles the Terblanche Ducati 900SS.

Steve Cooper

Mark Haycock

John Nutting

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Scoop has ridden a Kawasaki F7 and tells us about the XS750.

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Q&A and brake caliper strip: all in a day’s work for Mark.

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Mr Nutting on the British V-twin: the Hesketh.

Stan Stephens

Daryll Young

Alan Dowds

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Strips an Elsie and carries on with his TZR racer.

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Ran a workshop while putting together our restoration guide.

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Gets down and dirty with his ZRX1100 as he strips the motor.

Don Morley

Joe Dick

Sam Dearie

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Don’s camera recalls 1985 and reminds us of Niall Mackenzie’s mastery.

jdick@mortons.co.uk This month...

Takes lots of lovely shots AND strips his VFR400R.

editorial@classicmechanics.com This month...

Check out the revamped services guide and classified section.

Checking out...

Older/nicer stuff editor

Lord of the LC

Legendary photographer

Road test editor

The Q&A king

Supplement star

CMM’s top lensman

The quick spin king

Master of Mira

Up to his knuckles in oil

Ad sales guru

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❙ WORKSHOP NEWS

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❙ SUZUKI GSX-R1100L

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Our Pip on quarter miles, new tools and parts revealed.

Suzuki GB’s apprentices prove that ‘the kids are alright’.

❙ PROJECT HONDA VFR400R

CMM’s chief photographer gets his hands dirty with his NC30!

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❙ CALIPER OVERHAUL

Mark Haycock’s part-one take on stripping your calipers.

❙ PROJECT YAMAHA TZR250 3XV

Stan Stephens strips and rebuilds the V-twin motor.

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❙ PROJECT KAWASAKI ZRX1100

More engine management – this time a big straight four.

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❙ YAMAHA RD350LC

Stan again on stripping this liquid-cooled lovely.

❙ YAMAHA XS750

Yamaha’s quirky triple is well worth a look says Scoop.

❙ COMING CLASSICS

Two from the GSX-R750 range that are well worth tucking away.

Contents 06 ARCHIVE

32 KAWASAKI F7

SPIN – 08 QUICK 1999 DUCATI 900SS

41 1985

Niall Mackenzie (CMM’s own LC and Fizzy fettler) back in 1987.

Mossy rides the face-lifted Ducati legend. Pig in knickers?

Enjoy a little of life out on the two-stroke trail.

GSX-R750, Live Aid, the Cold War thaws and the GPz600R.

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NEWS

46 MOTO MORINI 3½

20

CALENDAR

54 SUZUKI GSX-R750F

22

FEEDBACK

60 HONDA C110

24

SHOW US YOURS

64 MIRA FILES HESKETH

Where to go, what’s hot, not and new as well as columnists.

August should be the best month yet for places to go.

You love us, you loathe us, you lick the stamp.

You love your bikes and it really shows here.

28 UGLY DUCKLINGS

Do ugly bikes make cheap future classics? Let’s ask.

Jon Bentman on the marvellous V-twin Morini.

Karl Webster restores one of the first loves of his life.

A son restores a bit of dad’s history before the National Rally.

John Nutting on the big, and often bad and brash British V-twins.

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1994’s two-stroke tearaway re-imagined for the iPad posse.

& events

Surtees book launched My Incredible Life on Two and Four Wheels is a beautiful coffee table book, based on the career, life and times of the legendary John Surtees.

Lavishly illustrated from a number of sources, including Mortons Archive and CMM contributor Don Morley, this is a must for any Surtees fan, or fan of a bygone racing era.

John Surtees is a living legend. The only man to win world titles with both Grand Prix bikes and F1 cars, he’s sat down with journalist Mike Nicks to go through his remarkable career in pictures. From his early beginnings as a passenger for his father in a sidecar, through to his solo motorcycle racing success, and from joining the mighty MV Agusta to his career in cars as a

driver, champion and team owner, it’s all here.

Also included is the story of John’s son, Henry, who followed his father into the world of motorsport and whose life was tragically cut short following an accident at Brands Hatch, but who lives on in The Henry Surtees Foundation.

Released to mark the 50th anniversary of his F1 title and with forewords from both Valentino Rossi and Sebastian Vettel this is a beautiful photographic memoir of a unique career and life on two, three and four wheels.

■ The book is from Evro Publishing (www.evropublishing.com) and costs £50, with proceeds going to the Henry Surtees Foundation. This foundation helps raise funds to support accident care, especially head injuries and to help train and educate young people with motorsport-related programmes.

SurTEES PrESEnTS air ambulancE cHEquE motorsport legend John Surtees has presented a £75,000 cheque to Kent, Surrey & Sussex air ambulance Trust on behalf of the Henry Surtees Foundation.

The money will be used to fund ‘high fidelity simulation mannequins’ for the trust. These mannequins are the very latest in simulation technology, helping the clinical teams to practice their skills, learn new techniques and improve patient safety by creating situations that are as close to real life as possible.

Speaking of the charity, Surtees said: “With a background in motorsport, i know that

every second counts and none more so than for the air ambulance services; i am honoured to present the cheque to

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such a fantastic charity.

“The idea that this money will contribute to saving lives is outstanding! The air

ambulance already offers an exceptional service, but if we can help reduce risk even further then we have done a good thing!”

as well as raising and donating £75,000 to the trust for the simulators, the Henry Surtees Foundation has also previously supported the provision of a blood transfusion service. This support included vital equipment such as thermostatically controlled boxes and blood warmers, and the purchase of two Honda cr-V vehicles for SErV (Service by Emergency rider Volunteers) to transport blood, enabling the service to provide nearly 70 transfusions in its first year. The foundation has also donated £131,000 to Headway to help people with brain injuries.

GURL TORQUE

FAIR PLAY ON FUEL A company that makes fuel for “small engined machinery” such as lawnmowers, chainsaws and classic motorcycles is campaigning to get it exempted from road fuel duty – which adds 57p to the price of every litre before VAT. The Anglo-American Oil Company makes Aspen, an alkylate ethanol-free petrol which it claims is cleaner than unleaded petrol and therefore better for the environment.

The firm says: “If you use alkylate petrol then you are currently paying just over 57p per litre in road fuel duty tax (before VAT).

We feel the road fuel duty tax that we all currently pay is unfair, which is why we are petitioning to abolish this tax.”

If you saw last month’s

CMM piece on ethanol free fuel, you’ll remember the benefits of it in your classic’s tank (better starting, running and less damage to tanks/carbs, seals etc.). So if you choose to use it, you’ll be paying all that tax too.

Aspen’s statement continues: “We know what fuel is the safe choice but people don’t use it as alkylate fuels are more expensive, even without the unleaded excise duty added – so please sign our online petition which we will be given to the UK Government in an effort to abolish the road fuel duty on alkylate petrol. We need your help to get this petition actioned!”

■ The petition can be found at bit.ly/abolishdutyaspen

Do you have a trick RD350?

We would love to put together a big feature which includes YOUR trick RD350LC/Powervalve.

If you’ve got something suitable then drop editor Bertie a line at: bsimmonds@mortons.co.uk and hopefully your pride and joy will end up in our pages.

Every silver lining has its cloud – and here is ours. The masterful Mark Williams on how bigger isn’t always better!

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arlier this year Harley-Davidson quietly dropped a bombshell: it was launching two bikes aimed at women. The Street 500 and 750 models are physically smaller, comfier and evidently more civilised than the existing range.

Certainly this won’t much help the still limited number of British women who pass their ridiculously onerous motorcycle test each year: for those unfortunate few with newly minted A1 licences the options are limited to low powered 125cc machines, but Harley-D’s declaration of intent prompted memories of the 60s and 70s when I actively encouraged female friends to jump on two wheels for some fun, travel and adventure. More specifically, when I actively tried to teach them to ride the blighters for the first time.

In today’s PC world it sounds sexist to record that such endeavours were constrained by considerations of the intrinsic weaknesses of the fairer sex, or at least their differences. But while it was perfectly legal for anyone with a provisional licence to buy, say, a BSA Starfire or Enfield Continental which were cheapish second-hand 250cc options in the early 70s, starting and manoeuvring these heavy and recalcitrant entry-levellers wasn’t something you’d wish on a newbie biker, female or otherwise. Which is why the first bike I ever got a girlie to ride was a Suzuki TC120 Trail Cat. This was a peculiar 118cc quasi-trailbike which sported an innovative transmission arrangement, enabling riders to switch from three low to, er, three not-so-low ratios by flicking a butterfly lever atop the gearbox. It was pretty slow even in the higher range, which was perhaps just as well because my then secretary Liz Watson was a keen but nervous beginner. Wobbling around a car park on it for the first time might’ve not been without accident had she been going any faster. But the Trail Cat was light and easy to kick-start.

She eventually passed it on to my then girlfriend, the alarmingly glam proto-punk Kathy Jones of whom I have writ before, who did in fact manage to drop it on her first attempt to skirt the car park, but wasn’t deterred and only wept a tiny bit.

Bike’s first official secretary, Cathy Hicks, the ‘old lady’ (a frankly condescending term still used by us unreconstituted hippies), of the magazine’s original photographer, Keith Morris, who had the good sense to buy a 1969 Yamaha YCS1.

Although much battered after just three years’ use by an early Bike contrib, Terry Kreuger (well he was also Time Out’s motorcycle messenger, and a damn Yankee), it was pretty pokey and Ms Hicks, a spirited up-for-anything kinda lass, only managed to drop it once before mastering it’s somewhat peaky power delivery.

Both these Jap strokers are now rather rare and I imagine, sought-after – at least by those such as S Cooper of this parish, so that nowadays a learner would be hard-pressed to afford one on which to begin their riding career. But being light, biddable and easy to start – well they’d be ideal. Not quite so the machine Cathy’s replacement at Bike, Andrea O’Reilly, cut her teeth (and knees) on.

This was one of the first Honda CB450 ‘Black Bombers’ which somehow her American passport and (car) driving licence enabled her to ride here. And of course drop here. Quite often. But undeterred, she later owned a succession of wonderfully inappropriate machines, including a KH500. Last I heard she was living in a new-age commune in upstate California, which after so many near-death experiences, perhaps isn’t surprising.

And last but not least, there’s my recently acquired wife who claims she learnt to ride on a mid-70s KE125 which she “loved to bits”. That she successfully won her spurs without falling off it speaks volumes for its easy-going, disc-valved power delivery… and the fact that she didn’t have me shouting at her as she gingerly negotiated a West London car park.

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Classic Ride

WORDS: STEVE COOPER PHOTOS: JOE DICK

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This month we ride one of Kawasaki’s stunning trail bikes; the F7.

f you’d never ridden a period Japanese two-stroke trail bike I could honestly think of no better way to begin than on a Kawasaki F7 as a starting point.

Yamaha’s CT, aka DT175, is a truly excellent machine and Suzuki’s TS185 is a strong contender but for me the F7 (or an early KE175) is the top drawer deal. Few sub 250s are as willing and packed to the top with character. Admittedly I’m a lifelong Yamorak and truly believe that the early CT 175s have exquisite, restrained, stylish quality about them but an F7 like Chris Brealey’s has to be some of the best Japanese trail bike eye candy to have ever turned a wheel. What’s more it is a real quality machine.

It often goes unmentioned that the guys building early Kawasaki motorcycles were part of the group company that had originally also made aeroplanes.

Look at the back of a late 1960s motorcycle factory manual and the flyleaf actually carries the legend Kawasaki Aircraft Company Ltd. The organization had made planes in the Second World War and by 1952 was producing Bell 47D helicopters under licence.

It’s not a huge leap of faith to see how the mindset and ethos of a company making quality flying machines might well be transferred into the nascent motorcycle division. It’s also been suggested that Kawasaki had no real need to actually make motorcycles but felt it would be a dynamic and cost effective way of getting its name known on a wider stage. If this is your background and strategy then you already know that the goods on offer have to excel. And walking around our test machine this month, it’s obvious that the bike was made up to a higher standard than many of its peers.

Check out the use of the vacuum petrol tap which was a novelty for Kawasaki at the time. Up at the bars there are rubber lever covers to stop the dirt and water entering the pivots and cables. There are rubbers on the footpegs but instead of a cheap and cheerful push fit they’re screwed in place. And what the hell is that dangling down from the pegs and attached to the frame? A random lump of cheap chain? Think again casual observer; this is another piece of quality that typifies Kawasaki’s early 1970s approach to motorcycle manufacture. The chains are there to stop brush wood from entering the gap twixt pedals and frame rails and thereby precipitating an unscheduled and messy change of direction.

Details such as these, the rubber mud flap on the guard, OEM fitment rack, spring tensioned cylinder to exhaust mount and security bolts to aid the use

Reader’s Special

National ExprEss! Restoring a Honda C110 for use in the National Road Rally has becom e a labour of love for paul duley but will it do the business and last the distance?

Words and pHoTos: Paul Dule y

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f – 12 months ago – you’d asked me what bike would be the next addition to my garage, which houses a Bsa C25, a KTM duke and a 350LC, I wouldn’t have suggested a Honda C110. More to the point, I definitely wouldn’t have suggested three of them!

The humble Honda C110 is a 50cc pushrod ohv commuter bike, which is an ancestor of the C90 engine still in use today. Honda introduced a family of little bikes based on this engine in the early 1960s, in both 50 and 55cc versions. Some were configured as a stepthrough and some as mini-motorbikes. The C110 is one of the latter, having a pressed steel construction frame, quite simple in design but also lightweight and effective.

The little powerplant puts out a claimed 5bhp allowing a top speed of around 45mph (allegedly) and a fuel efficiency of up to 220mpg. Well that is what Honda claimed it would manage if you could tolerate sitting at 15mph all day long…

So why have I begun a restoration on the C110? Well, glad you asked that, as it is this very machine that I intend to use as my steed on this year’s aCu National Road Rally. Not an obvious choice of bike on which to cover at least 500 miles in 18 hours I know, but I 60 / classic motorcycle mechanics

Quaint simplicity!

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undertake this madness with good reason. Back in 1964 my dad achieved a Gold Award on the ACU National Road Rally riding a C110 as part of a team put together by members of the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club. They’d completed the rally a few times before on their BSAs and Triumphs but wanted more of a challenge. Of all the manufacturers they approached only Honda recognised the potential PR benefits of loaning them some small capacity bikes for the rally. Hence they ended up with six C110s a month in advance of the rally to give them time to get used to them. The team came second overall, and a number of riders achieved Gold Awards. It was no mean feat, covering 600 miles in 24 hours of riding. Dad managed to get his picture in Motor Cyclist Illustrated after slipstreaming and passing one of the press cars down a hill. I managed to track down a copy of the magazine a couple of years ago, which shows a 19-yearold version of my dad eking as much speed out of the little Honda as possible – check him out!

So why am I trying to repeat his adventure? Well, 50 years on and dad is now suffering from advanced prostate cancer, a disease that we knew next to nothing about when he was diagnosed. As a family we turned to Prostate Cancer UK (prostatecanceruk.org), which provided an abundance of useful information and a very supportive online community. Prostate cancer kills 10,000 men a year in the UK, yet most men are unaware of the disease, tests are unreliable, treatments can cause life-changing side effects and research is underfunded. Prostate Cancer UK is the UK’s leading charity for men with prostate cancer which provides support to sufferers (and their families) and is funding further research into better tests and treatments. It is curable if caught early enough, so it is important to be aware of the symptoms.

To raise awareness, and sponsorship, for Prostate Cancer UK it seemed appropriate to do something linked to dad. When I realised that it was 50 years this year since dad’s adventure on the C110 it seemed obvious.

Buy a C110, restore it, enter the 2014 rally and sell the bike afterwards, with the funds going to the charity.

That’s how, 10 months ago, I ended up driving back from central London with a very rusty C110 laid in the back of the car. It had been stored for just over 40 years, having last been taxed in 1969. It hadn’t aged that well cosmetically. The chrome fittings were all trashed, with severe pitting, and it was clearly going to require a complete rebuild.

I was well into the process of stripping down the

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chassis, and had removed the engine, when I got an email via Preloved, the website where you can find information about pretty much anything you’re into. I’d put a wanted ad in for any C110s, or parts, but had not had any previous responses. In fact finding C110s, or parts for them, is a particularly difficult job. Quite a few times over the last year I have found myself wishing that dad and his friends had managed to blag some Bantams from BSA – at least there are plenty of them still around! C110 parts seem to be mainly concentrated in the USA, The Netherlands and pattern parts from Asia. David Silver Spares holds a stock of some parts, which was useful, but I ended up with a lot of international deliveries.

The most difficult items to get hold of were the silencer (the original was rotted through), tank badges and chassis fittings. So I followed up on the Preloved email and one quick trip to Newport later I was the proud (ahem) owner of another C110D (low swept exhaust) and enough bits for another one and a half

IN DETAIL: 1/ C110 shows how many years of neglect can soon turn to rust!

2/ Period details still shine through through.

3/ Chrome needed plenty of work.

4/ As did shocks and wheels.

5/ Motor was a joy to work on.

Left: The award!

Below: The names of the two riders on the left have been lost, but the others are (from l to r), Eric, Trevor, Doug and Dick (my dad).

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Next month

SPECIAL!

Hinckley’s modular triples and fours Why they’re great classic buys How Triumph was reborn Tips on rebuilding and servicing your early Hinckley Triumph Tested: Kawasaki Z1300 Reader’s Special: What happens when an Aprilia RS125 chassis meets a big KTM four-stroke single...

Archive: John Surtees, the man, the legend Stan Stephens: Stan continues with his Yamaha TZR250 3XV race project and RD350LC rebuild Workshop: FZ750 damper forks fitted with cartridge emulators Project Fizzy: It’s blasting time for Niall Mackenzie Pip Higham: When a Suzuki PE becomes a mini-motard!

AND LOTS MORE DON’T MISS IT!

ON SALE: AUGUST 20

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